Abysmal things (Candle cove)
by Blackrosetta13
Summary: Jodie Silvers was a perfectly normal, albeit socially awkward girl obsessed with pirates. Lately, her father has grown distant and her sister has become emotionally abusive, causing Jodie to bury herself further into her fantasy world. But when strange things begin to happen after she moves, she wonders if fantasy has taken over her life.
1. The static and Louis

Jodie Silvers stirred as a soft, sort of buzzing noise woke her from her sleep. She rolled over and burrowed deeper into the comfort of her warm covers, trying to go back to sleep. However, the sound only got louder, and she thought she could hear faint calliope music. Groaning softly, she finally sat up and rubbed the sleep from her eyes, startled to find her television on. Nothing was on the screen except for simple static. Jodie frowned and pushed herself out of bed, pausing as her bare feet touched the unfamiliar carpet of her new room. She didn't like it, nor did she like the new house. This mildly creepy event going on currently only solidified her disliking, though she had to admit it was most likely nothing, and her imagination was just getting the best of her. Jodie knelt down and stared at the screen in silent annoyance. She had rarely gotten any sleep, too nervous for the first day at her new school. She did not appreciate being woken...now hold on a tick. Jodie leaned closer to the television, squinting. She could have heard she saw something in that static. Shapes, moving. She reached out and pressed the button to change the channel. Static. She changed it again. More static. Jodie changed the channel about five more times, and each time she only saw static and the faint image of moving shapes. However, she did notice that that strange music had only gotten louder. It stirred something inside her and Jodie found herself feeling suddenly nostalgic. Maybe this was a show she used to watch? She didn't remember anything with this sort of music...maybe it was a show she had seen as a child?

The door was suddenly slammed open, causing Jodie to scream. Standing in the doorway, her older sister Melrose rolled her eyes. She wore white washed blue jeans, a red tank top and a black crop top over it, her long brown hair straightened and light makeup decorating her face. "Oh good, you're already up." Melrose sneered and watched as Jodie got to her feet. "Get dressed. I'm not going to be late to our first day because you're slow." Without another word, or waiting for a response from her younger sister, Melrose closed the door. Jodie sighed and went over, flipping on the light. She couldn't understand what was going on with her older sister. She had been acting strange ever since they moved. Meaner. And their father had grown extremely distant since the move. Jodie may have understood if this was a reaction caused by the death of her mother, but she had died years ago. Jodie went to her closet and pulled out a large green duffel bag, having not unpacked her clothes yet. She pulled out her own jeans and a plain Voltaire shirt. She liked him. He sang about pirates sometimes, and Jodie LOVED pirates. After digging some socks out of the bag and slipping on her sneakers, Jodie remember the TV and went to turn it off. Only, when she got to it, the screen was black, and the cord wasn't even plugged in. Jodie felt her blood run cold as she stared at the television, then turned and quickly ran out of the room. At first she looked for Melrose, wanting to tell her sister what had just happened, but then recalled her older sisters current attitude and thought against it. She would probably just make fun of Jodie, or call her a baby or something. Jodie sighed and went into the bathroom, brushing her hair and teeth before heading back into the hallway. As she made her way towards the living room to head off to school Jodie paused, hearing a noise coming from her room. It was soft, so very soft Jodie wasn't even sure she had actually heard anything. Hesitant, she pressed her ear to the door and listened.

Grinding.

Alarm bells suddenly went off in Jodie's head, though she had no idea why. All she did know is this noise told her there was danger. Holding her breath, Jodie gripped the doorknob, and the minute she made contact with the metal the grinding noise grew louder. Jodie flung the door open...and was greeted with silence. She stared at the empty room, the television still off, and felt her knees begin to shake. She quickly closed the door and hurried into the living room to grab her backpack. Melrose was waiting with a scowl by the door, and their father was reading the paper. He mumbled a goodbye, not looking up, and the sisters headed out, walking to the bus stop. Jodie was hoping he would mention something about her birthday being at the end of the weak, but he hadn't. It didn't even seem like he cared, like they wouldn't be celebrating at all. Jodie just didn't understand. Had she done something wrong? As they got closer to the stop, the girls noticed that many teens were crowded around something, and Melrose, who had suddenly grown an interest in belonging to the 'in' crowd, walked over to join them. Jodie lingered about a foot away from the group, unzipping her yellow backpack and making sure she had everything she needed.

Notebooks? Check.

Pencils and highlighters? Check.

Ruler, calculator, pens? Check.

Lunch? Yup.

Last, and most importantly, Jodie's copy of Treasure Island. She relaxes when she saw it was tucked safely away in the bag.

"Yoo hoo! Hello new girl!"

Jodie blinked, looking up to see the large group of teenagers part like the Red Sea to let a girl through. She was gorgeous, long blonde hair in braids, blue eyes, and a wonderful complexion. Jodie was painfully reminded of the large pimple hiding under her bangs. At first she assumed this girl was going towards Melrose, but instead she walked past her and right up to Jodie. The girl took a moment to look Jodie up and down before suddenly pulling her into a hug. "Hello! My name is Louis Cuttingham! You have such pretty hair!" Louis then let Jodie go and reached out, gingerly touching her short strawberry blonde hair. Jodie felt her face heat up slightly. "Uh...I'm Jodie..Silvers." Louis smiled brightly and turned as the bus arrived, screeching to a stop in front of the stop. Louis then linked arms with Jodie, pulling her onto the bus and to a seat in the far back. She noticed the book poking out of Jodie's bag, as Jodie hadn't had the chance to zip it back up. "You like pirates? We're going to get along just fine! I can tell that you and me are going to be best friends, Jodie Silvers!"

YOU HAVE

TO GO

INSIDE.

Welp, here it is! The start to my Candle cove fic! This story really doesn't get a lot of attention so let's hope you guys like it!

This story is actually heavily involved with what the fandom itself has created, so if you don't know the fandom, here's a little clicky link to start!

wiki/Candle_Cove_(TV_Show)


	2. Louis Cuttingham, TV star!

Jodie felt awkward as Louis stared at her, her eyes shining and a large grin in her face. "O-Oh..that's...nice?" "You see, Jodie, I used to be an actress!" Melrose took the seat in front of them, and gave her younger sister a glare before looking at Louis, wide eyed. "you were? That makes sense, you totally look like you could be on TV!" What a butt kisser. Louis smirked and flipped one of her braids over her shoulder. "I know, but thanks. Anyway, yeah! I was the main character on this pirate show called Candle Cove. Let's be honest, though, it was crap. It only had two seasons." Candle cove...Jodie furrowed her brow. That sounded vaguely familiar. If it was about pirates, then she had probably seen it. Maybe she had just been too young to remember. "Candle cove? What was it about, besides pirates?" She asked Louis, hoping more details would jog her memory. Louis seemed happy to oblige, mostly to talk more about herself, Jodie figured. This girl was strangely friendly. "Well, I played this little girl, can't remember the name, Jaydee, or Janice, and she started in, like, or world, only to somehow end up in this fantasy world of pirates and magic. It was supposed to be educational, isn't that a laugh?" Melrose was snickering but Louis kept her eyes on Jodie, waiting for her reactions. However, Jodie wasn't one to give up her beliefs just to fit in. "I mean...I do understand how pirates, who were usually villains or morally grey, would be weird to use for an educational kids show, but..there are still ways I'm sure it worked. Maybe to teach kids about sea life, or history of famous sailors..." Jodie then trailed off, embarrassed, and her sister was shooting her more glares. Louis, though, looked surprised and then smiled, giving Jodie a side hug. Oh dear.. "If only we had someone like you on writing! Those are wonderful ideas!" Jodie flushed and just listened silently as Louis prattled on about herself the rest of the bus ride, and boy did this girl just love to talk about herself.

At school Jodie's homeroom was a Ms. Delinko, who taught three of her classes. World history, psychology, and criminal justice. Jodie liked her. She was a stocky woman with long black hair who took and gave no crap. She used to work at the ren faire and she lived in Russia for nine years. She didn't even make Jodie go to the front of the class to introduce herself! This was nice... "Now, remember kids, a storm is coming and it'll be here for the next week, sooo, since we're getting so much water, we're going to spend the week learning about...PIRATES!" Jodie's heart jumped. Maybe this would be a good week after all! Not..counting the storm. She really hated thunder and lightning. When Ms. Delinko asked if anyone knew who Black beard was, Jodie's hand shot up, a lot faster than she had intended. She felt her face heat up but her teacher was grinning. "I like your enthusiasm new girl! Tell us what you know." Jodie slowly and awkwardly lowered her hand. Oh no, everyone was staring at her... "U-Uh...well...nobody knows his, um, his real name. It was either Edward Teach or Edward Thatch, though most believe it was Teach..he was known for..for setting parts of his beard on fire. He used that to intimidate people.." Jodie trailed off, feeling more and more stupid. She was right, of course, but who cared about these kinds of things. However, Ms. Delinko seemed very pleased, and stuck a gold star on Jodie's nose. "Very good! Now, as our new girl said, Black beard was most commonly known as Edward Teach-" And class officially began. Okay...maybe this wouldn't be so bad. Jodie actually participated in class, and by the end, her face was covered in gold stars. She said goodbye to Ms. Delinko and stepped outside, immediately greeted by the laughter of Louis Cuttingham. "I should have known you would walk out like that! You're the type of person Delinko would love!" Louis continued to laugh and once again linked arms with Jodie, pulling her along and snatching the class schedule out of her hands. People were staring. It was clear Louis was very popular. A face covered in stars didn't exactly help, either.. "Oh good! We have English together." Louis said excitedly. "You'll like Mr. Johnson. He dances around and is very silly. Oh, I am so glad we have some classes together, Jodie!" Jodie was pulled all the way to her next class by a happy, chatting Louis. While she had annoyed Jodie a little at first, Jodie was in a good mood from her previous class, and decided that having someone so ready to be her friend wasn't such a bad thing.


	3. The calm before the storm

The two girls walked to Mr. Johnson's class, arms linked together. It dawned on Jodie just how popular Louis was, as just about everyone was staring at them. Then again, a face full of golden stickers didn't help. "Let me guess, she was talking about pirates, right?" Louis asked, and giggled when Jodie nodded shyly. "You shouldn't be so shy! I think it's wonderful that you have a passion, Jodie, even if it's about pirates. Really, if we had more people like you working on that old kids show, it probably wouldn't have been such a flop." Right, the kid show she had starred in. Candle cove... "What exactly was it about? I know you said it was supposed to be educational." "Oh, honey, that thing was a SHIT. SHOW." Louis giggled more when she saw Jodie's wide eyes. She wasn't used to swearing. Their father didn't allow it. "...That bad?" "The quality was awful-" "Talking about that kids show?" Louis was interrupted by a brunette girl in a pretty pink dress, who had suddenly linked with Louis' free arm. Louis shot her a glare and the girl looked down, mumbling an apology. Louis, actually looked kind of scary. "Yes, Pepper, I am. Jodie, this is one of my friends, Pepper. She's got a habit of interrupting, please do excuse her." Jodie was awkwardly silent as Pepper, just as pretty and well dressed as Louis, gave Jodie a once over before wrinkling her nose. "those...jeans look nice on you." Pepper said, no real sincerity behind her compliment. Clearly she just wanted to stay on Louis's good side. "As I was saying, the quality was abysmal...heh. The puppets looked like something out of a nightmare. I especially hated that pirate ship. It talked, and had the worst voice every."

Ed Wynn.

Jodie wasn't sure why, but this made her think of that actor, Ed Wynn.

The trio arrived to Mr. Johnson's class. He was a young man, most likely hadn't been teaching long, with tan skin and short spiky black hair. He was very friendly, but this meant he did make Jodie introduce herself to the class. However, Louis insisted on doing it with her, which was actually a little comforting. Once Louis had introduced Jodie as her best friend, hardly letting the new girl speak, they took their seats in the back, and Louis went on. "Even though they claimed it was supposed to be an educational show, I can hardly recall anything that was very educational about it...Well, I suppose that one episode was decently educational, or had a moral, at least." Louis began to to run her finger over the end of one of her braids, trying to recall the episode. "There was this pretty silly of the pirates, Percy, was trying to learn to play that Disney song, Yoho, or something, and he was awful at it. Everyone kept telling him to give up, except for my character, of course. I played such a sweet little girl." Jodie almost thought she caught a hint of bitterness in Louis' voice. "Anyway, the villain..rather, his stupid, pathetic henchmen and crew, decided to attack the ship. Turns out the main henchman had some dumb weakness to off key piano playing. So Percy's awful playing saved the day. And in the end he managed to play the song correctly, showing that you can do anything if you just try! Or..something like that." "Wasn't that why the show got cancelled?" Pepper asked from her seat behind Louis, who nodded. "yes. The company was too small, and couldn't pay Disney back for letting us use the song." Jodie frowned slightly. That was too bad. despite Louis' clear dislike for the show, Jodie liked the sound of it. In fact, she may have watched it when she was younger. it certainly did sound familiar. Before she could say anything though, Mr. Johnson told everyone to quiet down, and began class. And that's just about how the rest of Jodie's first day went. She had a few other classes with Louis, and some with Pepper, though Pepper's faux sincerity and kindness was starting to get on Jodie's nerves. Most of the teachers were pleasant, and everyone was pretty decent to Jodie, though by now pretty much everyone knew she was friends with Louis, and that was most likely the reason why.

Things weren't as nice at home. Jodie had hurried inside, excited to tell her father about her first day of school. However, he seemed far more interested whenever Melrose spoke, brushing off Jodie's comments with, 'that's nice, dear', or 'I'm glad to hear that, sweetie'. Finally, Jodie gave up and just headed for her room. Her father didn't even say anything about her leaving so abruptly. It was so unlike him! Jodie was getting a little scared. Without remembering what had happened that morning, Jodie reached for her door without hesitation, only stopping when she heard the grinding on the other side, and everything rushed back. Grinding. Grinding was bad. Grinding meant danger. Jodie staggered back and grunted when she bumped into something, only to have that something, which turned out to be Melrose, shove her hard. Jodie yelped as she hit the wall. She wasn't hurt, it had just knocked the air out of her. Melrose stood with her hands on her hips, glowering down at her younger sister. She had never looked at Jodie that way before. "M-Melrose, something is i my-" "Shut up." Her sister snapped. "Shut up and listen good, because I'm not repeating myself, twerp." This wasn't like Melrose, not at all. They had always gotten along before the move.. "I don't care if you're friends with Miss Popularity at school! Here, you're still a nobody. Here, I'm still better and more important than you. So stop wasting dad's time." Her face was almost red with anger, and Jodie was shaking, pressing herself against her door in an attempt to seem smaller. The grinding got louder. "Dad HATES you, why can't you see that? You make him miserable!" "N-No I don't! No he doesn't!" Jodie tried to stand up for herself, hoping to maybe knock her sister out of this insane episode, but Melrose only shoved her again. This time it did hurt when Jodie hit the wall. She wanted to cry. What was going on? This couldn't be real. "Yes he does, and you know why? Because' YOU'RE the reason mom is dead!"

Jodie stared at her older sister in horror, tears slowly pooling in her eyes before streaking down her face. Happy with her handy work, Melrose just turned and walked to her room without another word. Jodie wanted to run to her father and tell him all the cruel things Melrose had said, but she didn't dare. Her father had been acting so different too, and maybe..maybe Melrose was right. Had Jodie somehow done something to upset her father? Did he blame her for her mother's death? But why? Jodie was at school when the accident happened. Not caring anymore about the grinding on the other side, Jodie flung the door to her room open and then slammed it behind her. The noise had stopped. She flung herself onto the bed, finally letting out a sob, and she cried, long and hard. She didn't notice the sky outside her window grow dark as clouds blocked out the sun. The wind was howling and thunder warned of the storms Delinko had mentioned before rolling in. But Jodie didn't hear it. Nor did she hear the soft voice that spoke from the television.

"Keep heart, Janice. All will be well soon, miss."

WOOOOO

UPDAAAAAATE!

Things have gotten heavy in the Silvers household. Jodie has found herself suddenly being attacked by her once beloved sister. And what's going on with Louis? She certainly seems to hate Candle cove, despite bragging about having been the star of the show.


	4. Candle cove, local kids show?

Jodie got absolutely no sleep that night. She had spent most of it crying, and when that finally subsided, she found her thoughts straying to that kids show Louis was on. Candle cove.. It was the last thing he should have been thinking about! Her sister had hurt her! Blamed her for their mothers death, and their father had done nothing, even with Melrose yelling loudly enough that he should have been able to hear her. And he had done nothing... Maybe Jodie did need to get her mind off this, so she let herself wonder into thinking of candle cove, and that's when it suddenly hit her. She HAD seen the show Louis was on! Back when she lived in Ironton, when she was a kid. Jodie sat up and went to her computer, which her father had set up in the corner of the room. It had been very nice of him to do so, but he sure hadn't seemed happy about it... Jodie shook her head. No, she wasn't going to think about that. This was far more interesting, and it involved pirates! Pirates were cool. Jodie pulled out the chair and sat down at the computer, booting the old thing up. Once it was on she looked around and found a website called Netnostalgia. It was fairly new, but seemed to be a decently sized forum despite these sort of sites having only popping up recently. Jodie read the terms of service, hit the agreement button and made herself an account.

Skyshale033.

That out of the way, Jodie made a forum.

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Candle Cove local kid's show? **

**Does anyone remember this kid's show? It was called Candle Cove and I must have been 6 or 7. I never found reference to it anywhere so I think it was on a local station around 1971 or 1972. I lived in Ironton at the time. I don't remember which station, but I do remember it was on at a weird time, like 4:00 PM.**

Jodie figured nobody would answer for a while, it was only three in the morning, so she went to turn her computer off when it pinged.

 **mike_painter65  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **it seems really familiar to me…..i grew up outside of ashland and was 9 yrs old in 72. candle cove…was it about pirates? i remember a pirate marionete at the mouth of a cave talking to a little girl**

Jodie felt her heart skip a beat. Somebody else had seen it? She felt the memories flooding back to her. Sitting in front of the TV with her sister...wait. No...she had always watched it alone. Jodie didn't remember Melrose ever watching it with her, or... She began to type furiously.

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **YES! Okay I'm not crazy! I remember Pirate Percy. I was always kind of scared of him. He looked like he was built from parts of other dolls, real low-budget. His head was an old porcelain baby doll, looked like an antique that didn't belong on the body. I don't remember what station this was! I don't think it was WTSF though.**

Wait, hold on...where had THAT come from? Jodie barely remembered this show..except..now that she had typed it, it was all coming back to her. That puppet, a baby doll head with messy, almost fire orange hair. God, that thing really was nightmare fuel. Jodie waited for about twenty minutes, and when Mike didn't reply again, she figured it was too late, or rather, too early, and turned off her computer. She would check it again at school. A yawn escaped her and Jodie suddenly felt exhausted. She would barely have any time to sleep before school, but at least it was Wednesday. The teenager climbed into bed and burrowed under the covers, curling up. She only got about three hours of sleep before the loud grinding woke her up, and Jodie felt as though her bed was rocking and swaying...as if she were on the ocean. She nearly screamed and jolted up. Nothing. Just her empty bedroom, and Melrose pounding on the door, yelling at her to get ready for school. Despite how tired she was, the conversation she had in the chat, and these new memories of the show had Jodie excited. She would be sure to ask Louis more about it. In fact, she was in such a good mood she chose to try and dress nice. A black blouse covered in red roses, matching tights, and a black velvet skirt. She didn't have enough hair to style, so some black hair clips would her bag Jodie ran out of the house, not even saying goodbye to her father. She waved when she saw Louis waiting for her at the bus stop, and the actress began to fawn over Jodie right away. "Red! It's my favorite color! And it looks so good on you! I'm so glad you chose to dress up today, you look so cute..though you need makeup. Come on!" When the bus pulled up Louis pulled Jodie to the back again, and this time Pepper was waiting for the, Weird, Jodie didn't remember seeing her yesterday. "I decided it would be fun to start riding with Louis...and you." Pepper replied, as if she could read Jodie's mind. Jodie wasn't surprised that she was treated as an after thought. Pepper clearly didn't like her, and that was fine. Louis made her sit between them and told Pepper to begin pulling out her makeup, which she did. And they both had A LOT. Foundations, powders, eyeshadows and lipsticks. "A lot of red. Jodie looks GREAT in red." Louis told Pepper, who nodded, actually decently excited. She must have liked doing people's makeup. "Uh, can I ask you some more about Candle cove?" Jodie asked as Louis made her look at her, holding different shades of foundation to her skin. "I, uh, was thinking about it last night...and I do remember watching it." "Oh, I knew you had! You're totally into that stuff...oh, wow, you're so pale! Pepper, mix these two." Louis replied while handing the other girl two foundation bottles. Pepper began to mix them right away. "Go ahead! I'm more than happy to answer any questions. Just try to stay still."

"Well, was there a pirate character called Percy? Made of-" "Baby doll parts! Yes!" Louis replied as Pepper handed her back the foundation. She used Jodie's clips to pull back her strawberry blonde hair and began to apply the cream. "A ghastly looking thing, made out of different doll parts. ugh. I hated him-that doll, I mean. Old habits die hard, I'm afraid. As a kid I was always scared that dumb thing was alive. ooh, this shade is perfect for you." Pepper hummed in agreement and handed Louis a brush to so she could spread the foundation across Jodie's face. "Makeup tip! Always cover your neck and ears, and any visible skin if possible. But yes, he was called 'Pirate Percy', and his character was supposed to be a bug baby who was always too scared to do anything by himself. Foundation is done. Pepper, you do the powder." Pepper had Jodie face her and took another brush, having Jodie close her eyes as she applied the powder. It was kind of weird. Nobody had ever really done Jodie's makeup before. Melrose had tried once, about a year ago, but she had no real idea what she was doing and both found the end product hilarious. "They had a lot of puppets. In fact I think I may have been the only actual actor on screen. I can't really remember...wait. They did have ONE other actress. She played a Siren. her outfit was SCANDALOUS! Not appropriate at all for a kids show. I think that episode got removed or something." Jodie remained still until Pepper finished with the powder. "You...look very pretty." The red head said, actually sounding a little surprised. It was a little weird to have Pepper sincerely compliment her. Jodie wasn't sure if she liked it. "Okay, next is eyeshadow. I have this sparkly red that will look great with your outfit. Pepper, do you have a tissue?" Pepper handed Louis a tissue from her bag and Louis held it under Jodie's eye, making her close it. "Always do this, or the shadow will get on your cheek and smudge with the foundation. What else do you remember?" "Not much...the ship, you said it talked. Did it sound like Ed Wynn?" "Oooh, good memory!" Louis giggled, putting the eyeshadowing on Jodie. "Actually, it was his wife! I...think? Could have been his sister. Either way, he and the lady playing that creepy ship were related. Okay, I'm going to do the other one."

By the time they arrived at the school, Jodie was decked out, eyeliner, lipstick, blush, EVERYTHING. She noticed some boys staring and waving at her and she flushed. Could something as simple as makeup make guys attracted to her? That was both amazing and...kind of dumb. She chose to ignore them and checked the clock on the schools tall tower. Still thirty minutes till class. She told Louis, and Pepper, that she would meet with them later. She had to catch up on homework in the library. Once inside she got to one of the computers and re-entered the forum. Someone had replied!

 **Jaren_2005  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **Sorry to ressurect this old thread but I know exactly what show you mean, Skyshale. I think Candle Cove ran for only a couple months in '71, not '72. I was 12 and I watched it a few times with my brother. It was channel 58, whatever station that was. My mom would let me switch to it after the news. Let me see what I remember.**

 **It took place in Candle cove, and it was about a little girl who imagined herself to be friends with pirates. The pirate ship was called the Laughingstock, and Pirate Percy wasn't a very good pirate because he got scared too easily. And there was calliope music constantly playing. Don't remember the girl's name. Janice or Jade or something. Think it was Janice.**

Calliope music.. Just like what Jodie had heard yesterday.

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **Thank you Jaren! Memories flooded back when you mentioned the Laughingstock and channel 58. I remember the bow of the ship was a wooden smiling face, with the lower jaw submerged. It looked like it was swallowing the sea and it had that awful Ed Wynn voice and laugh. I especially remember how jarring it was when they switched from the wooden/plastic model, to the foam puppet version of the head that talked.**

Again, Jodie was typing more things that she didn't remember until they were on screen. Once they were there she remembered them clear as day. Suddenly Mike was back on, posting.

 **mike_painter65  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **ha ha i remember now too. ) do you remember this part skyshale: "you have…to go…INSIDE."**

Jodie's stomach dropped. She began to type without even thinking about it.

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **Ugh mike, I got a chill reading that. Yes I remember. That's what the ship always told Percy when there was a spooky place he had to go in, like a cave or a dark room where the treasure was. And the camera would push in on Laughingstock's face with each pause. YOU HAVE... TO GO... INSIDE. With his two eyes askew and that flopping foam jaw and the fishing line that opened and closed it. Ugh. It just looked so cheap and awful.**

 **You guys remember the villain? He had a face that was just a handlebar mustache above really tall, narrow teeth.**

But wait. Wasn't the Laughingstock a girl? Jodie had been so sure of everything she had typed before, but this one felt weird. However the bell rang, she must have spent more time on there than she realized. Jodie couldn't risk being late on her second day, so she shut off the computer and hurried out of the library. She could have sworn that she heard that music as she left...

Looong chapter.

If anyone ever makes a comic of this, I REALLY want to see this chapter. Girls sharing creepy stories over makeup is something I LOVE.

And what do you know, Jodie started up that chat! And she seems to know more than even she thought. I wonder why..


	5. One year closer

Nobody had responded to the chat on Thursday, which was fine, as it gave Jodie plenty of time to ask Louis more questions. And of course Louis loved talking about herself and her career as an actress, so she was more then delighted to oblige. Jodie was so caught up in this candle cove business, she had completely forgotten that today was her birthday. Maybe that was a good thing, who knows what Louis would have done. for the past two days, Jodie had sat with her and Pepper during lunch, but today she wanted to check on her forum, so she said that she had some classwork to do, and scampered off to the library again. She excitedly sat down and logged into the forum. It looked like it had been busy while she was in class.

 **kevin_hart  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **i honestly, honestly thought the villain was pirate percy. i was about 5 when this show was on. nightmare fuel.**

 **Jaren_2005**  
 **Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **That wasn't the villain, the puppet with the mustache. That was the villain's sidekick, Horace Horrible. He had a monocle too, but it was on top of the mustache. I used to think that meant he had only one eye.**

 **But yeah, the villain was another marionette. The Skin-Taker. I can't believe what they let us watch back then.**

 **kevin_hart  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **jesus h. christ, the skin taker. what kind of a kids show were we watching? i seriously could not look at the screen when the skin taker showed up. he just descended out of nowhere on his strings, just a dirty skeleton wearing that brown top hat and cape. and his glass eyes that were too big for his skull. christ almighty.**

Jodie suddenly felt cold as she read over the posts. The Skin-taker. She suddenly had flashbacks of a skeleton puppet, eyes too big for it's head. It was dirty and wore a top hat and cloak made of brown patch work in different shades. Patch work... Oh god. As Jodie began to type, she could hear it, faintly.

The grinding.

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **Wasn't his top hat and cloak all sewn up crazily? Was that supposed to be children's skin?**

Her heart was pounding in her chest, though Jodie wasn't sure why. It was just a stupid kids show. Why did she feel like she was in danger? The computer pinged, and Jodie saw that Mike was back on.

 **mike_painter65  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **yeah i think so. rememer his mouth didn't open and close, his jaw just slid back and foth. i remember the little girl said "why does your mouth move like that" and the skin-taker didn't look at the girl but at the camera and said "TO GRIND YOUR SKIN"**

 _To grind your skin._

The grinding grew louder, and Jodie found herself physically shaking as screams filled the air. or rather, her head. Nobody else was reacting. Nobody else could hear it. Her fingers pounded on the keyboard, so hard the red polish was chipping off.

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **I'm so relieved that other people remember this terrible show!**

 **I used to have this awful memory, a bad dream I had where the opening jingle ended, the show faded in from black, and all the characters were there, but the camera was just cutting to each of their faces, and they were just screaming, and the puppets and marionettes were flailing spastically, and just all screaming, screaming. The girl was just moaning and crying like she had been through hours of this. I woke up many times from that nightmare. I used to wet the bed when I had it.**

 **kevin_hart  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **i don't think that was a dream. i remember that. i remember that was an episode.**

 **Skyshale033  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **No no no, not possible. There was no plot or anything, I mean literally just standing in place crying and screaming for the whole show.**

 **kevin_hart  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **maybe i'm manufacturing the memory because you said that, but i swear to god i remember seeing what you described. they just screamed.**

 **Jaren_2005  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **Oh God. Yes. The little girl, Janice, I remember seeing her shake. And the Skin-Taker screaming through his gnashing teeth, his jaw careening so wildly I thought it would come off its wire hinges. I turned it off and it was the last time I watched. I ran to tell my brother and we didn't have the courage to turn it back on.**

This was too much. Far too much. Jodie's head was throbbing. The screaming and the grinding had merged into one awful, endless sound. She wanted to cry. She wanted to run. Jodie nearly shrieked when a hand clasped her shoulder. She whirled around in her chair and suddenly the noise stopped, just as fast as it had come. There was Louis, a red balloon in her hand. She was grinning widely and held it out to Jodie. "You silly! Why on earth didn't you tell me it was your birthday?! After school tell your dad we're going out. I'm making you a cake!" "Wh-what's this..?" Jodie gripped the balloon. Her hand was still shaking. Louis giggled more. "A present from a secret admirer~ There's even a little note! Go on, what does it say? I'm DYING to know." That's when Jodie noticed the note attached to the tail of the balloon. It was in bright yellow paper. Sighing, she opened it. The writing was...awful. Horrid, scratched letters.

 _One year closer,  
Another year's past.  
Soon you'll find out,  
That your body won't last._

 _One year closer,  
Another year's end.  
A few more years,  
With your family and friends._

 _One year closer,  
The time flies by.  
Get on your knees,  
And begin to cry._

 _'Cause one year's closer,  
You can't hold on.  
You will slip away,  
And then you'll be gone._

 _One year closer,  
It's too late.  
Everyone in the world,  
Will share your fate._

 _One year closer,  
Time grinding away.  
I'll sew you in,  
On that day_

 _So remember,  
One year closer,  
One year dies.  
One year wasted,  
No matter how you try.  
No matter how you try._

 _One year closer,  
One year closer,  
I will hunt you,  
And then it'll begin.  
You will scream,  
And I will grind the skin.  
I will grind the skin. _

Things are getting serious. Jodie is starting to remember everything about that nightmare of a children's show.

Or is she?


	6. Dead air

Jodie stirred and slowly opened her eyes. The world around her was blurry for a moment, but began to clear up enough she could tell where she was. A hospital room. The bed was large, the walls white and blank, and she noticed many red flowers and balloons around the room. At least an IV wasn't stuck in her, but the hospital gown was itchy. How did she even get in here? The last thing Jodie remembered was getting that balloon from Louis. Ugh, that balloon and that stupid poem. Jodie gently pushed herself off the bed, shivering when her feet made contact with the cold, cold ground. Scratching at the gown, she pulled the door open and looked around. it seemed to be close to night, the sun was low in the sky from what she saw through the window. The hospital didn't look too busy, so Jodie figured it would be easy to find a doctor to tell her what was going on. As she made her way through the ha;;, she passed a TV room, where a handful of kids were gathered around the television. They stared at Jodie and she waved awkwardly. They were..kind of creepy, despite just being children. They continued to stare until she made it out of their line of sight, only pausing when she heard it.

"You have...to go...INSIDE."

Jodie did a double take and peered back into the TV room. The kids weren't looking at her anymore, but at the screen as static began to flicker, shapes moving behind it, barely visible as a friendly voice began to sing.

 _"Far off in the land of Candle Cove,_

Somewhere in a forgotten grove,

 _You might just find a treasure trove of memories from the past._

 _Pirates outside of creepy caves,_

 _Girls in danger who must be saved,_

 _Sometimes things can look rather grave,_

 _The ocean can seem very vast!"_

Jodie stepped inside cautiously, the kids not even noticing her, their eyes glued to the screen. The static was slowly clearing up and she could see two figures standing on what looked like the outline of a ship. Something in her mind told her to move, so Jodie turned quickly and she headed out of the room, but the voice still reached her.

 _"But pirate Percy is on your side,_

 _The Laughingstock's mouth is open wide,_

 _ebbing and flowing with the tide,_

 _get up and hurry on in!  
Horace lurks in the shadows deep,_

 _no need to worry 'bout that creep!_

 _Although the skin taker may leap,_

 _READY TO GRIND YOUR SKIN._

 _So sail and.._

 _sail.._

 _and sail..._

 _..._

 _hah._

 _Hahaha!"_

Jodie noped out of there as fast as she could, looking around frantically looking for a nurse, or a doctor, or any sort of adult. Instead she found Melrose hanging around in the hallway. What was she doing here? Jodie stopped a few feet away from her, and the older girl looked over at her little sister with disdain. Great. Jodie wakes up in a hospital with no clue what's going on and her sister continued to act like a...a bitch. Jodie still felt uncomfortable using that kind of language, but she couldn't think of any other word to describe her sister at the moment. "Oh good, you're awake." Melrose scoffed, stepping away from the wall she was leaning on. "Dad was ALMOST worried when you had your stupid little episode. What is wrong with you?! Do you have any idea how much money he wasted taking you here?" "What are you talking about?!" Jodie demanded. "I don't remember anything." "What happened is your dumb ass fainted!" Melrose snapped. It seemed she had no issue breaking their fathers rule on swearing. Finally Jodie lost it. "What is your problem?! You didn't act like this before the move!" "Are you delusional?!" Melrose sneered, jabbing Jodie hard in the chest. "You've always been a stupid, worthless cry baby that dad and I have hated, ALWAYS!" Jodie opened her mouth to argue with her and then realized...she couldn't recall a single time Melrose was nice to her in the past. Even that makeup adventure they had had before, looking back, Jodie remembered that Melrose had done the whole thing with malice, making Jodie cry as she covered her in the gunk. She couldn't remember anything fun she and Melrose had done together. Not a single time her father gave Jodie his full attention. Jodie couldn't even remember the accident that had killed her mother. She couldn't remember her mother at all. _What was going on.._ Jodie was shaking. She wanted to cry. She wanted to cry and just disappear. Something was wrong, terribly, terribly wrong. She gasped as Melrose shoved her, harder than the last time back home. Jodie lost her balance and fell onto the ground. "You think you're so special now because you're friends with some stupid girl! Well get back to reality! If you died, nobody would care! I keep telling you this but you never listen!" Jodie shook as she crawled away from her sister, crying silently. Where were the adults? Didn't someone hear her sister screaming? "In fact, just do everyone a favor Janice. KILL YOURSELF!"

Janice?

Jodie shoved herself off the ground and ran, her bare feet slapping against the floor hard as she went as fast as she could. The first open door she saw, she ran into, and Jodie found herself in an empty office. She slammed the door behind her and slowly lowered herself back onto the floor, sobbing. Nothing made sense anymore. Why were her memories so messed up?! They weren't like this before...were they? Why couldn't she remember anything she could before? Suddenly the computer screen on the desk lit up and she slowly lifted her face from her hands to look. That..forum. her forum. Why was her forum on that screen? Jodie stood and walked over to the computer, sobs still causing her shoulders to shake. There was a single new post, and it shattered Jodie's world.

 **mike_painter65  
Subject: Re: Candle Cove local kid's show?**

 **i visited my mom today at the nursing home. i asked her about when i was littel in the early 70s, when i was 8 or 9 and if she remebered a kid's show, candle cove. she said she was suprised i could remember that and i asked why, and she said "because i used to think it was so strange that you said 'i'm gona go watch candle cove now mom' and then you would tune the tv to static and juts watch dead air for 30 minutes. you had a big imagination with your little pirate show."**

Jodie screamed when the room was filled with the sound of loud grinding and the ground seemed to sway beneath her. She covered her ears and dropped onto her hands and knees, crawling under the desk and curling up. "What is this..what is this...make it stop.." Jodie trembled and squeezed her eyes shut. As fast at it had come, the grinding was gone. Replaced with calliope music. Jodie barely opened her eyes, peering out fro beneath her lashes, and found herself on a beach.


	7. Welcome to Candle Cove

Jodie slowly crawled out from under the table, damp sand sticking to her hands, knees, and feet as she did. The sky was dark, stars and the moon shining brightly, and the light from a nearby carnival caught her attention. This was also where the music was coming from. This was crazy. Jodie figured maybe she was still asleep? It wasn't her birthday yet, she was...just dreaming. Just a dream. But that didn't make her any less scared. Jodie shivered as the cold air hit her, some spray from the even colder ocean managing to make its way towards her. "..I'm..dreaming." Jodie said allowed, just to reinforce that belief. She looked around, taking note of the carnival and what appeared to be a town nearby, however the carnival was closest, so she slowly made her way over, shivering. The music grew louder as she got closer and she saw all sorts of rides and people there. Jodie just wanted to find help. It may have been a dream, but she wanted help. Jodie glanced at a little old woman who stood behind a game stand. She looked terrifying, hunched over, a head wrap hiding her hair, a long hooked nose, and eyes that looked like they were made of glass. "Care to play? free of charge for a pretty young thing like you..." "N-No thank you, ma'am.." Jodie tried to walk past the stand, but the woman gripped her wrist tightly. Her hand was freezing cold and didn't even feel like it was made of flesh. More like hard plastic. "I insist, dearie. Please." She then pressed a dart in Jodie's hand. It was one of those games where someone had to throw the darts at the balloons. "Free of charge. The entire carnival is! We're celebrating the return of the Laughingstock crew. They've been gone for a very long time."The Laughingstock? Then was this...Candle cove? But how, that had just been a kids show...hadn't it?

 _you would tune the tv to static and juts watch dead air for 30 minutes. you had a big imagination with your little pirate show._

Was it even that? Feeling like she didn't have a choice, Jodie gripped the dart tightly and, fearing the old crone would be angry with her if she missed, Jodie threw it as best she could, managing to pop a balloon. Something fell out and landed on the ground with a thud. Jodie watched warily as the crone bent down to pick it up, and then shoved the 'prize' into Jodie's hands. "As always, the balloons know what you need. Good luck, dearie. Have fun at the carnival~" "U-Uh..yes. Th-Thank you." Jodie shuffled away quickly, looking down at the items in her hands. It was...Percy. Pirate Percy. Made of many different doll parts, he had a baby doll hear with big blue eyes and ratty orange hair under a stripped headband. It was very creepy, but something about it made Jodie feel a little safer. She held the doll tightly as she continued to walk along the carnival. The smell of cotton candy and corn dogs was mixing in with the sea breeze. A few people called out to her to come over, for food, games, or rides, but Jodie ignored them. She didn't know where she was going, but she knew she didn't need to be in that carnival. Why didn't she just turn around and head back to town? As she pondered this thought, she passed the docks, and a loud voice made Jodie jump, dropping the Percy doll into the sand. "Hello little girl." Jodie already knew who it was by that voice. She looked up in horror to find a large ship staring at her with a sharp toothed grin. The Laughingstock. "What's wrong? Did I scare you? Heheheeee!" The ship laughed, swaying due to the tides. Jodie scrambled to her feet, picking the doll up. Somehow, the ship moved what Jodie supposed could be called it's head to look down at her. The Laughingstock eyed her bare feet and hospital gown, then it's eyes landed on the doll. "Well, I haven't seen that old thing in years! I would ask where you found it, but I'm more concerned for you little girl. Aren't you cold? Where are your mommy and daddy?" This ship was...a lot friendlier than Jodie had expected. "...I'm lost.." She told the ship, trembling from the cold. "That isn't good. Why not come inside, sweetie? Good old Poppy will be able to help you." Jodie wasn't sure about this, but if she remembered...the Laughingstock and her crew weren't bad took a step forward- "JODIE!" Louis? Jodie turned and saw the pretty girl running through the carnival at full speed, worry on her face. "Louis?! What are you doing here?" Jodie called out to her. "I was looking for you!" Louis stumbled a little as she reached Jodie and the ship, but she managed to keep her balance. The Laughingstock smiled. "Oh, good! You have a friend here? Then there is nothing to worry about!" And the ship began to laugh, so loudly Jodie's ears began to ring. Louis grabbed Jodie's hands tightly, causing her to drop the doll once again. "L-Louis, what's going on? This has to be a dream..." "I know this must be so scary and confusing, Jodie. But I promise you, I PROMISE you..."

"It'll be over soon."

"What are you talking about.." Jodie asked and then winced as Louis' grip suddenly tightened, and continued to tighten. "Louis...y-you're hurting me." She mumbled, trying to pull away. Louis didn't let go, and Laughingstock was growing concerned. "Sweeties, is something wrong?" "Oh no, Miss Laughingstock." Louis replied, her voice as sweet as usual. "I'm just doing something that should have been done a long, long time ago.." "OW!" It burned. Louis' hands began to burn, and it felt like Jodie's wrists were being hit with scalding water. Jodie struggled and watched wide eyed as steam began to rise from Louis' skin, which had begun to turn red, bubble, and sag. "LOUIS?!" "GET AWAY!" Suddenly Louis was drenched in water and she cried out, releasing Jodie. It was the Laughingstock, taking sea water into her mouth and spitting it out at Louis, who growled. Her braids were coming undone, her roots turning black. "IT'S RED MARY! RUN CHILD!" "Shut your mouth!" Louis, or rather, Mary, glared at the ship and reached out, fire coming from her hand and slowly going out, licking at the Laughingstock until it began to catch fire. Jodie stood, frozen in place and Mary grinned, turning back towards her. She took a step closer to Jodie and slammed her foot down on the Percy doll, shattering it's head. "Nobody is going to save you! And I'm tired of waiting! It's time for you do die!" Jodie shrieked and turned, running back through the carnival, Mary hot on her trail. She looked around frantically for somewhere to hide as Laughingstock continued to cry out to her, telling Jodie to keep running, that help would be with her soon. Jodie spotted a house of mirrors, but saw she had passed it. She skidded to a halt and turned, surprising Mary enough that she ran by without being attacked. Jodie pressed her hands on the doors and shoved them open, running deep into the maze. She didn't pay attention which way she went, not caring that she got lost as long as she got away from that girl! "This isn't real!" She tried to remind herself, tears streaming down her face. Her lungs hurt from overexerting herself, her wrists were beginning to blister and nothing made sense. She skidded to a halt as she reached a dead end and her legs gave out. She collapsed onto the ground, sobbing silently. "it's just a dream..it's just a dream.." "OH JANICE~" Mary's voice came from the direction of the entrance. Why was everyone calling her Janice?! Jodie wasn't Janice! "Come out here and face me, or die like a coward! I've waited years to do this, even played your stupid little friend for a few days! Do you know how humiliating it was, pretending to be friends with someone like you?!" A mirror shattered somewhere. Jodie covered her mouth, hoping to silence her crying. More mirrors shattered as Mary made her way through the maze, laughing like a maniac. This was only drowned out by the sound of an explosion, glass sent flying and Jodie's screaming. A huge wall of the maze had been completely destroyed. Jodie peered through the hole to find a boy maybe a little older than her, standing there with a nasty scowl on his face and a canon at his feet. It looked like he had dragged the thing all the way to the maze. "Listen here ye wench, let th' lass go or ye're goin' t' 'ave a painful, bloody death. " He was tall and slender, only a little muscular, with orangish hair that reached his shoulders under a black tri-corn hat, a dark blue coat, pale skin, and what looked like cracks stemming from his left eye. Jodie screamed as more glass shattered around her and Mary appeared. Her grin..it was indescribable. "Oh look, it's the _wimp_! Long time no see, sweetie. How's your old man? Oh wait, HE'S DEAD!" She began to laugh, only to be hit in the stomach with another cannon ball and sent flying back. "That's it. Ye're dead. Girl, I suggest ye come here, NOW."

WOOOOOOOOO WE GOT US A PIRATE PERCY

A VERY PISSED OFF PIRATE PERCY

TURN DOWN FOR WHAT


	8. Poppy

This guy didn't have to tell Jodie twice. She got to her feet and ran towards him as fast as she could. He reached out and grabbed her wrist, not really bothering to be careful with her wounds, and Jodie yelped softly as he jerked her back so she was behind him. Tears strung her eyes and she gently rubbed her wrists, trying to soothe them with her own touch. "We heard ye were in town, ye wench, but I didn' believe it. I didn' reckon ye were that squiffy. But now that ye're here I can finally put an end t' that pathetic life o' yers!" Mary had been shot back at least three feet, and yet she stood as if nothing had happened. Her sleeves burned as her arms became enveloped in flames. By now every inch of her skin was red, covered in blisters and sagging. It was enough to make Jodie want to puke. "Oh dear Percy, don't make me laugh!" She slowly made her way towards them and Jodie got further behind the boy..Percy. Pirate Percy. But he didn't seem to be a coward like she remembered. Then again, Jodie had the feeling she couldn't really trust her memory anymore. "Oh shut up! I've been waitin' years t' scuttle ye fer yer betrayal, 'n 'tis finally me chance. 'tis too bad ye had t' get some helpless wee lass involved, 'n I dunno wha' yer problem be wit' her, but ye aren't goin' t' hurt her or anyone else ever again!" "You ARE an idiot!" Mary laughed, tucking her black hair behind her ear. How she had changed so drastically, Jodie didn't know, but it was horrifying. Even Mary's laugh, it was hallow and cold. "You don't realize who that 'helpless wee lass' is? HAH!" "Wha' th' Davy Jones are ye natterin' about, Mary!" Percy snarled and readied his cannon again. Mary laughed harder. "She's JANICE, you idiot!"

"I am not!"

"She ain't!"

Both Jodie and Percy yelled at the same time, and Mary laughed so hard she actually threw her head back. Percy let out an honest to god GROWL, like some sort of animal, and shot off the canon. Once again, Mary was sent flying, but Jodie was scared it wouldn't do anything, and she was right. Mary pushed herself off the ground, though she staggered slightly. "Oh, she is. Not that it matters if you believe me or not. This has been fun, but it's time for your lives to end!" Mary laughed madly as fire enveloped her entire body and she ran towards them. Percy drew a pistol but before he could shoot Mary, she was once again doused with water. "Nah so fast ye wench, help has arrived! Now prepare t' loot yer spot in Davy Jones' locker, 'n tell them cap'n Poppy sent ye!" The three stared as the laughingstock, mildly singed but overall unharmed, sailed up to the shore and standing atop it was a very tall, muscular old man, his hair and beard grey with bits of red shining through. He wore a captains had, had a peg leg and an eye patch, and was armed to the teeth. Mary let out an angry yell and turned, running. It seemed she wasn't willing to fight 'Captain Poppy'. Not today, at least. Poppy jumped down off the ship and then groaned, grabbing his hip. Percy looked between Mary and his captain and then scowled, walking over to help the old man. "Damn it ole scallywag, ye needs t' stop this! Once again ye got yourself hurt, 'n Mary ran off!" "Calm down, Percy! We both know th' wicked wench will come back. She's waited years t' show her disgustin' red face around here, whatever she's plannin', she won't back down so easily! Ye'll get yer revenge, lad. Ye'll get it. 'n show me respect, I be still yer cap'n, lad!" Poppy gave a hearty laugh, his belly jiggling slightly, and then he noticed Jodie, still hiding behind Percy. His eye grew wide and he stared at her open mouthed for a moment. He then slowly stepped forward, and Jodie couldn't help but clutch the sleeve of Percy's jacket, still shaken and afraid. "Janice? Be that ye me lass? 'ave ye finally come ship?" "I-I'm not Janice..!" Jodie said. She tried to sound certain but...she didn't know what was real anymore. Was Jodie even her name? At the moment, it was all she had, and she wasn't going to let it go. "M-My name is Jodie. Jodie Silvers. And I..I.." She broke down, her shoulders shaking as she sobbed. For a split second, Percy looked concerned, then he wrinkled his nose and wrenched his sleeve free from her grasp. Poppy reached out and took her into his arms, letting the young girl sob into his chest. "Thar, thar, Miss Jodie. I apologize fer th' confusion. Ye're safe now. Nasty Red Mary won't be hurtin' ye anymore. 'tis okay wee one." He patted her head and tried to get her to calm down. Poppy noticed Jodie's burnt wrists and gingerly took them into his hands, examining them. The skin was red and blisters were starting to form. "Oh, ye poor sprog. Mary did a real number on ye, didn' she? 'tis alright, we'll get ye taken care o'. Mercy Nursey will loot care o' yer wounds, 'n ye'll be ship shape. " He took one of her hands in his large one and began to lead her into the town, motioning for Percy to follow. The younger man rolled his eyes but jogged after them. He suddenly reached out and snagged something off the back of Jodie's hospital gown. Sniffling, she turned to look at what he held in his hand.

A shoelace.

THANK YOU PIRATE MONKEYNESS FOR YOUR PIRATE TO ENGLISH TRANSLATOR.

Dear lord was this chapter hard. But the crew has come together, and Red Mary has retreated, for now. But Jodie is no where near out of the woods just yet. The Skin taker knows of her too, if we recall his birthday gift.


End file.
